


||Koi No Yokhan|| (Park Seonghwa)

by m3dvsa



Category: ATEEZ (Band), K-pop
Genre: F/M, M/M, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29676993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m3dvsa/pseuds/m3dvsa
Summary: 恋の予感 (n.) lit. "Premonition of love"; the sense one can have upon first meeting another person that the two of them are going to fall in love."I will love you until the sky collapses"
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Original Character(s), Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Kim Hongjoong/Original Female Character(s), Park Seonghwa/Original Female Character(s)





	1. ||CHAPTER 1||

Seonghwa saw it happening every day.

He saw children innocently sharing their toys in elementary school.

He saw young high-school students on their first dates: he observed how awkward they became, how one of them would blush if the other one reached for their hand, or if they looked in their eyes for too long. He saw married couples happily share their lives until they grew old. He had seen people blinded by it, and people who never thought about it being taken down by one single act. One single, shining arrow, aimed right to their heart.

It had always been like this. Ever since he had been brought to the world, his mother had taught him that most mortals need it: a famous poet described it as a force so strong it could move the Sun and all of the stars in the universe. Seonghwa knew that: it was strong indeed. But he was stronger.

Or better, he was lucky enough to know how to manipulate it, how to make it strike at the right time.

Mortals knew about him and called him many names: Eros, Cupid, Amor…Love.

He was love.

He was that gentle breeze, that pouring rain, that destructive earthquake, that furious storm.

He was the butterfly in one’s stomach, the archer who shot the first dart. 

He was also the slow descent into madness, the longing, desire, and every single one of humanity’s most intimate thoughts.

Seonghwa liked watching mortals in that state. He could never not be amused at the face they made when he shot them with one of his arrows: there was something in the way they suddenly stopped doing whatever they were doing and just stare into the void like they almost knew what was happening to them, as if they could almost feel the colorless arrow make their way through their chest and turn a different color once it was set deep into their hearts.

Seonghwa was always curious about the new color his arrow was about to take. That was the only thing he could not control: what kind of love was to bloom in one’s heart. That was up to Fate, the capricious Fate which he could never foresee. Sometimes it was painful to watch the arrow become pitch black in a man’s chest, but he could only fly away and go to his next target, hoping he would never have to witness the consequence of the darkness he had just shot in his soul.

Being the god of love was not easy, for sure. Especially when he was laying under the stars, lost in his own thoughts, and came to the realization that he could only give love to people, but could never receive it back.

“ I am the very reason why mortals love… why can’t I experience it? Do I really have to be nothing but an archer until the skies collapse?”

Soon the slight uneasiness was eased by a sip of ambrosia. And he kept drinking until he was drunk and toying with the grass under his fingertips, thinking of how dumb it would have been if he had struck himself with one of his arrows. He remembered the poor Narcissus, whose body was found on the bottom of the lake he had drowned himself into, a slender arrow set deep in his chest. Half silver, half black.

That night was one of those nights. The sun had already disappeared, and Artemis was now guiding the moon over the night sky. The sea was calm, and the breeze softly caressed his pearly white wings. If anyone were to see him right now, it would have been a true sight to behold: a human would think they were in the presence of what they called angels. His whole figure emanated a soft glow that surrounded him like a halo and got more intense towards his wings, so big they could have almost covered him completely.

But no one was there to see him. No mortal could if he didn’t want to. He stayed like that for a while, observing the tranquil surface of the sea.

_“Yunho must be in a good mood,”_ he thought, as the waves gently hit the cliff he was sitting on.

Then he heard a voice, coming from the beach.

_Cupid, draw back your bow._

_And let your arrow flow._

_Straight to my lover's heart for me._

_Nobody but me._

_Cupid, please hear my cry._

_And let your arrow fly._

_Straight to my lover's heart, for me._

Seonghwa instinctively went to hide, but then he relaxed realizing no mortal could see him, so he waited for the owner of the voice to show up. Meanwhile, Fate already knew that what was going to happen next would have changed him forever. It stared down at him, in its celestial home. Fate had decided: it was time, for Cupid, to know what love felt like.


	2. ||CHAPTER 2||

Carys.“ _Beloved, someone to love_ ”.

That’s what her name meant.

She was loved indeed: her family, her friends, everyone in the little sea town she lived in seemed to have nothing but kind words and affection to her.

However, it was on nights like that one that she remembered that she had never _loved_.

She was affectionate towards the ones around her and knew what being cared for felt like: she even had a couple of partners, but she had never felt what other people said they felt when they were in love. Of course, she was still young and had plenty of time to understand it, but she was undeniably curious about why people looked different when they were in love.

The first time she understood that love was a thing was when her parents had finally decided to get married after she was old enough to hold their rings at the ceremony.

“ _I would have married your father before, but he insisted that he wanted his child to carry the rings, and no one else_ ” her mother always reminded her, on the days when the nostalgic feelings got the best of her.

Carys was eight years old when her parents decided to get married: she remembered how her father cried while his future wife walked towards him, and how after their first dance he immediately wanted to dance with her too.

She was reminiscing these happy memories while walking on the beach, and still, she couldn’t shake that feeling off of her. She wanted to be in love, but how could she feel something she had never completely understood? Sure, affection was a thing, but love? The one that _“alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But_ _bears it out even to the edge of doom”_? She didn’t know how it felt like, yet.

And so, she kept strolling around the beach. The sand was cool under her feet, much like the breeze that ran through her hair. The waves hit her ankles gently, as she hummed the lyrics of one of her favorite songs.

_“Cupid, draw back your bow._

_And let your arrow flow_

_Straight to my lover's heart, for me._

_Nobody but me._

_Cupid, please hear my cry._

_And let your arrow fly._

_Straight to my lover's heart, for me…”_

Carys admired the way the moon reflected into the water. She felt like she could almost touch it if she took just a few steps into the sea. When she was little, she would always pretend that she came from the moon, and she would pester her father with questions about it. Were there people on there? Could she get there if she climbed the highest mountain in the world? Why did it only show up at night? As she was lost in her thoughts, she looked up to the rocks she was walking towards, absentmindedly singing the same song again. For a moment, she had the sensation that she was being watched by someone, but she tried to shake it off.

She was not aware that she was, in fact, being watched. Not yet, at least.

**********

A girl was walking towards him. She clearly could not see him.

But he saw her.

There was something about the way she was absentmindedly singing, the way she was walking, or how the moon seemed to shine even brighter on her figure. There was something that intrigued him. He had seen plenty of humans in his existence, but none of them had grabbed his attention quite like this one. She looked so peaceful, walking down the beach with her feet in the water. At a certain point, she kneeled down to pick up a large seashell that the waves had brought to her feet.

“Typical Yunho, he can’t resist to a pretty human,” he thought to himself, smiling slightly.

The girl fumbled with the seashell, putting it in the pocket of her jeans as she kept moving forward. And maybe it was an optical illusion, maybe he had drunk too much of that god's nectar, but she seemed to shine brighter with every step she took.

He had seen beauty. Hell, his mother _was_ beauty itself, literally. But this time it felt different: Aphrodite shone of blinding light, it was almost impossible, even for him, to look at her straight in the face. She was a different kind of light, like the one of a candle. Comforting. Warm.

He was so mesmerized by the sight in front of him, he didn’t even realize his hands were reaching to his bow and arrows, carefully placed next to him. Then, he felt a stinging sensation on his right hand.

 _Shit._

How could he have done this? He had stung himself with his own arrow, just when moments ago he was reflecting on how that was the stupidest thing he could ever do.

He could just take the arrow in his sane hand and watch his blood (just a few drops of it) run through the entire length of it, then being absorbed. Then, the arrow started to turn another color.

He couldn’t bear the sight of it. What if it had turned red? Or worse…

Seonghwa turned his eyes back to the girl, that was now turned the city. She was going home.

He watched her pick up one last pretty seashell, as her light became stronger.

And then, it turned red.

Red as his blood, that was still coming out of his wounded hand.

Red as the arrow, that was now evidence of his greatest mistake.

Or maybe it was not a mistake. Seonghwa was not being punished, oh no. He was just given what he lately longed to have. And soon, he would have realized why he wasn’t just an archer. 


	3. ||CHAPTER 3||

“I screwed up!”

That was the only thing he was able to say as soon as he saw Hongjoong.

He had asked Yeosang to tell him he needed him for an important matter. All the divine messenger could do was scoff and murmur something like “ _Why can’t we use phones like mortals do_ ” before flying away in the deep night sky. He had kept his hand and the crimson arrow hidden in his quiver until he was sure that Yeosang had flown away: nobody on the Olympus but Hongjoong needed to know what happened.

“Tell me now… how badly did you fuck up? You made someone fall in love with a bull, again?”

“That was _one_ time, Joong, and it was on Zeus orders!”

Seonghwa sat on his bed, ready to tell him what he saw just a few hours prior. Hongjoong was powerful enough to control anyone’s sleep, including deities like himself. And judging by his friend’s miserable state, he knew he would have needed some.

“I-I don’t know how I did it… but there was this girl on the beach. She was beautiful, and then she started glowing and I got distracted because well she was _beautiful_ and _glowing_ and a human doesn’t glow like that and… I stung myself with an arrow”

He sighed, falling back on his bed. He could already feel the effects of his mistake: every time he mentioned the girl, he couldn’t help but feel restless. Like he had to run back to that beach, to wait for her to show up again.

Hongjoong quickly glanced at his wounded hand, until his attention went to the crimson red arrow in his quiver. He furrowed his brows, sitting next to him on the bed.

“I can’t believe I have done this. What is going to happen now?”

“Well, since you only barely sting your hand, you should be able to resist its effects for a while… but it won’t last long. You are going to fall. Hard, judging by this”

He pointed at the arrow.

The only proof that Cupid had fallen in love.

Seonghwa looked at the god in the eyes, silently pleading to put him to sleep, literally. He only wanted to rest for a little, before he had to go on Earth again and fulfill his duties. He was still the god of love, after all.

Hongjoong rested one hand on his eyes, and it was a matter of seconds before Seonghwa was out like a light.

He made sure that the poor Cupid slept without any dreams. Just a dark, peaceful slumber.

Hongjoong looked at the arrow again and noticed something different.

The feathers had started to shift color.

White made its way towards the arrowhead, but it stopped midway. He knew way too well what that meant.

“The perfect balance…” he murmured to himself, before getting out of the house. He had some work to do.

He could only hope that Aphrodite never found out about it.

***********************

If there was one thing Carys loved, it was a rainy day.

She liked staying inside, cuddled in her bedsheets, maybe watching a movie or listening to music.

Today was one of those days: she was debating whether to get up or not. Sure, she was hungry. But the bed was so comfortable, and it was still early… plus, she felt like she was drifting to sleep again.

She didn’t know that there was someone in her room, trying their best to enter her deepest thoughts.

Hypnos was slowly making her drift off to a peaceful slumber, lulling her back to sleep with a melody only he could understand: as the rain kept tapping on her windows, as the far sound of thunder echoed in the air, Hongjoong granter her access to her dreams. Just a couple of minutes would have been enough.

As the god of dreams and sleep, he was also able to condition mortal’s minds without them knowing.

Countless books had been written by humans about dreams and their interpretations: Hongjoong was amused by their obstinacy to logically understand the realm of dreams, where nothing was as it seemed and everything was real and fake at the same time. Men had always encouraged one another to trust and follow their dreams: but would a man follow a map without coordinates? Would he be willing to get lost in a maze with no compass to guide?

Carys was sound asleep.

Hongjoong thought one last time about the consequences of his actions. It was dangerous to mess with dreams, even for a god, but it had to be done. Fate was inevitable, and it was his duty to contribute to the realization of its plans.

And so, he opened the realm of dreams to her.

_Carys was on the beach. She recognized the beach she had walked on the night before, but there was something different._

_A boy was laying on the rocks._

_He was shining in the night sky, his halo reflected by the water below him. She couldn’t see his face, since it was half-covered by his enormous wings: they were shining even brighter than him._

_Then, she saw him. It must have been an angel of some sort because there was no way that a beauty like him was of human nature: his hair was literal gold, falling on his forehead and down to his neck, which was adorned with jewelry. The ivory of his clothes only made his glowing skin stand out even more._

_He was truly a sight to behold._

_The angel turned to look at something behind her. She turned too, only to see herself, in the same clothes she wore the night before, humming the same song, walking the same path._

_“Cupid, draw back your bow._

_And let your arrow flow._

_Straight to my lover's heart for me._

_Nobody but me…”_

_She observed the angel, only to discover his arrows and bow hidden behind the wings._

_Cupid._

_He took one arrow and stung himself in his right hand while looking at her. Well, her of last night._

_Then she heard a voice, a male voice, say: “I will love you until the skies collapse”._

_His hand started bleeding, the arrow turned red and soon another light started burning, brighter than Cupid’s one._

_She was on fire. She could feel the warmth on her skin, but she didn’t burn. And soon, everything was enveloped in the same fire, until she could only see the gentle flames burn down into the sea._

**_***********************_ **

A couple of days had passed from that dream.

As much as Carys tried to shake it off, she couldn’t stop the weird feeling she had gotten from that dream. It was so vivid, she could almost feel the sea breeze; she could almost see the handsome boy again if she concentrated enough. The memories of the past night kept her company as she made her way to her job at the bookstore her father owned. Books kept her occupied for a while until it was almost lunchtime.

“Sure time flies when you have about a hundred things to think of,” she thought, as an old man handed her the money for a series of books he had bought. She politely smiled at him as he left the shop with his books on the _Secrets and tricks of gardening_.

“I have to go grocery shopping for dinner tonight and then home, could you stay here and take care of the books darling?” the man asked. She suddenly remembered the dinner invite from her parents, who lived only ten minutes away from her house.

“It’s not like they’re going anywhere”

“Great, then I’ll see you tonight! I love you!”

“Love ya dad!”

Her father laughed, as he took the car’s key and stormed off the shop, not before turning the “Closed” sign on the door.

And like, that, she was alone.

Monday mornings were never busy, and since the old man looked like the last client until afternoon, she thought she would have a little time for herself. Of course, she couldn’t leave the shop, but she knew exactly how to spend time.

She started wandering through the shelves with her eyes closed. It was a little game she played when she was little: she closed her eyes, picked random books, and started reading them. Her father seemed to play that game too, judging by some of the questionable books she found in his office.

Soon she was sitting in the reading area: a small balcony upstairs, decorated with comfy chairs and a coffee table. The irony of all ironies, the first book she had picked was “ _The fable of Amor and Psyche_ ” by Apuleius.

“Well, looks like I have no choice,” she said to herself, opening the book.

She was a few pages in when she noticed it was raining again.

The rain got more and more abundant, to the point it was actually pouring outside.

Carys kept reading until she heard the familiar sound of the door being opened.

“Dad must’ve forgotten something,” she thought, so she didn’t bother taking her eyes off the book. That is until she heard an unfamiliar voice downstairs.

“Hello? Is anyone in here?”

“Oh uhm…Yes, but we’re closed right now!”

She put down the book and brought herself to the balcony. And boy, was she shocked to find the boy of her dreams (literally) downstairs.

Actually no, he didn’t quite look like him. He had black hair and his skin didn’t look like it was made of literal silk. But there was a resemblance so strong she ended up staring at him for maybe a little too much time.

“Do you… do you need anything?” she managed to say, trying to look as normal as possible. Her mouth had gone suddenly dry, and her hands were shaking.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but it was pouring outside and this was the closest place I could find… is it okay if I stay here, at least until it rains out?”

She glanced at the umbrella he had left next to the door, then to the window, which was so drenched in rain, it was almost impossible to see anything outside.

“Uhm…Yes, come up here!”

_“Well congratulations, now that’s definitely going to be awkward.”_

***********************

“You did _what_?”

“Do I really have to repeat myself?”

Seonghwa was pacing back and forth in the cave that was Hongjoong’s home. He couldn’t understand how he liked living there, but the reply was always the same: _my poppies grow better in here_.

“Well, that’s-”

“-The best thing I could have ever done for you, I know, no need to thank me…”

“It’s really not, I mean…what if my mother found out about this? She would be furious”

If only Hongjoong could tell him the whole truth.

“Seonghwa, one time you told me that once an arrow has touched the flesh, there’s no turning back. Sure, you seem to be okay now, but you know what the consequences are if you resist what is, actually, your own nature. Do you remember that lady? 1985?”

Yes, he remembered well.

The first and last time a human seemed to never be affected by his arrows. No words can explain how shocked he was to see his arrow pass through the chest of the woman, and never turn another color. The poor lady suffered for so long, until she killed herself, and all Seonghwa could do was watch her slowly meet her downfall into madness. And then Thanatos arrived and took her with him.

“What should I do then?”

Hongjoong sat on his ebony bed. He had never seen his friend so desperate: _ah, l’amour…_

“Go to her. Talk to her, maybe you should even flirt a bit. I know you’re pretty good at this” he snickered, amused at his friend’s reaction.

“One of these days I’m making you fall in love with a cactus, Joong”

The two were interrupted by Yeosang, who had shown up at the cave’s entrance.

“Got any news?” Seonghwa asked

“Not much, but you’re needed on Earth right now, Joong”

Hongjoong only nodded and disappeared, not before giving one last look at his distressed friend.

“So…how about that mortal who you fell in love with?”

“How do you even know?” Seonghwa asked, already heading out of the cave.

“Well, judging by the scar on your hand and the visibly red arrow in the quiver… I just put two and two together. However, are you going to do anything about this?”

“Only if you promise not to tell anyone, dead or living”

As soon as Yeosang promised him that his lips would’ve been sealed, he showed him the arrow.

“Well that seems pretty serious… but why is it two different colors?”

Seonghwa sighed, knowing all too well what that kind of combination meant. He had only seen it once in his existence, but never in mortals.

“Red and white. _Eros_ and _Pragma_. The perfect balance.”

His hands were shivering only thinking about that kind of love. It was the combination of the most powerful forms of love ever encountered by both mortals and divine creatures: the one time he had seen this, he was almost blown away by the sheer power the bond between the two exuded. They looked like no one could’ve touched them; like nothing, even the end of the world could’ve stopped them from being together.

Yeosang gasped, bringing one hand to his mouth.

“I…I’ve never seen something like that. Does this happen often?”

“I’ve only seen this once in my entire existence. You know them both pretty well”

Yeosang sighed, then patted on Seonghwa’s shoulder.

“You lucky son of Aphrodite…just know that if you need any help, I’m here”

Seonghwa smiled, heading back to the Olympus with the divine messenger.

Then, he went back to Earth, in human form, hoping to be lucky enough to find her again.

And he found her in a bookshop, while it was pouring outside. She was reading, cuddled up on a rocking chair. His heart almost skipped a beat, but he managed to stay calm as he approached the shop.

“Good luck, just in case you chickened out” the water whispered to him, as it hit the ground.

“There’s no need Yunho, I already know what to do”

He didn’t really. But he had to try at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> I'm pretty new to this platform and this is my very first work-the only one I ever thought of publishing, really...  
> I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it! 
> 
> -Medusa


	4. ||CHAPTER 4||

Everyone has experienced a moment of awkward silence before.

Just two people, in silence, both thinking whether they should embarrass themselves or just stay quiet. That was exactly Carys' situation: sitting in front of a boy she literally saw in her dreams, with no words coming out of her mouth.

Or _his_ mouth, for what mattered.

He kept looking around, eventually stopping on the pile of books in front of her.

“That’s a lot of books for just one day,” he said, picking one of them up.

“Well, it’s not like I have anything else to do in here…” she answered, but it almost came out as a whisper. What was happening to her?

The boy fumbled with the book, reading the title on the back. He then flashed a little smile.

Oh, his smile.

_It could put the sun to shame,_ she thought.

She observed the way his hands flipped the pages of the book, then his eyes, then how the hair was falling on his forehead, then back to his hands. Carys noticed one of his palms had a long scar across it.

Cupid in her dreams had hurt his right hand. Could it be…

“Is there something on my face?”

Oh, no. She had been staring for too long now, that was for sure.

“It’s just…I know it may sound weird, but it’s like I have seen you before. But maybe I’m wrong…”

Carys could almost feel her face burning as he glanced at her. For a moment, they made eye contact.

Those eyes.

That guy was definitely the one in her dreams.

“Really? Well, I just moved here, so maybe you’ve seen me around a couple of times”

Well, that made more sense.

“Can I ask what happened to your hand?”

He seemed to panic for a second, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Well, I made a mistake… and hurt myself with an arr- a knife”

“Oh”

Then silence fell again. The boy’s eyes drifted back to the book he had in his hands, then to the one she was reading. He read the title.

“ _The fable of Amor and Psyche_. Nice one”

“Have you read it?”

The boy’s eye seemed to lit up.

“No, but I heard about the myth. Psyche was really brave, facing all she had to face, only for love”

“And Cupid was…well, kind of dumb for falling in love with a human, but who am I to judge him?”

The boy in front of her let out a little laugh, before putting the book back on the table.

“At this point, I think I should introduce myself. I’m Seonghwa”

He offered her his right hand. She shook it, feeling the roughness of the scar and the softness of his fingertips.

“Nice to meet you, Seonghwa. I’m Carys”

“Carys…I like that name”

Carys had just realized how his hand felt really warm, and how he smelled like nice cologne even if he had basically run in the rain.

“Thank you…” she managed to say, trying to avoid eye contact the whole time. She didn’t know why, but she felt that if she looked at him too long in the eyes, she could’ve never been able to look any other way.

That dream was messing with her head, and it was of no help that he seemed to have come right out of it. It couldn’t be a mere coincidence… right?

“Are you always this shy around people?” he abruptly asked.

“What? No, it’s not like that, really…”

Her face was burning up like crazy. Seonghwa laughed, crossing one leg over the other.

“There’s no need to worry. It’s kinda cute, actually”

_Oh. My. Heavens. Does he think I’m cute?_

_“_ T-thanks” she muttered, suddenly feeling hot. Too hot.

What was happening to her? It felt like she was back in eighth grade all of a sudden: she could’ve sworn her face was on fire, and her heart was beating so loud. Everything about whatever was happening to her seemed foreign, but so right at the same time.

The rain had stopped. Seonghwa quickly glanced out of the window, then back at her. He seemed sad all of a sudden, but maybe it was just her brain messing with her again.

“Looks like I have to go…that’s so weird, isn’t it? Moments ago it felt like the sky was going to fall on us”

“Indeed, it’s weird…well, guess I’ll see you around?”

He got up and went to the stairs, not before looking at her once again.

“I’ll see you around, Carys”

And like that, he was gone.

Carys stared into the void for what felt like an eternity. What the fuck had just happened? She felt dizzy all of a sudden.

_The fable of Amor and Psyche_ was still in front of her. Like pulled by a mysterious force, she picked it up again and her eyes fell on a note, written on the center of a blank page she was pretty sure wasn’t there before.

_“I will love you until the skies collapse”_

_-S._

***********************

“That’s it? You left a note in her book? Man, I thought you were better at this…”

“Shut up Jongho, it’s not like I was going to go to her and be like ‘hey, I’m the god of love and I fell for you so now _please_ be mine for eternity’…she would’ve freaked out!”

Jongho scoffed, sitting on the cliff he was sitting to a couple of nights prior.

“I’m just saying you could’ve done more… what do mortals do? Ah, yes, you could’ve asked her out on a date!”

“I agree”

A voice spoke from the ocean and, moments later, a tall man with turquoise hair had shown up.

“Nice to see you, Yunho”

The boy flashed a smile, before getting on the cliff too, much to Jongho’s demise when he realized half of his tunic was now drenched.

“You’re wetting all of my clothes!” Jongho shouted. The god of the seas ignored him, keeping his attention on Seonghwa.

“Anyway, I think you did pretty well in there…she’s cute when she blushes like that”

Seonghwa’s eyes went straight to Yunho, clearly irritated. Was he getting jealous already?

He checked the arrow with the corner of his eye, still secure in his quiver.

“Okay, getting possessive already…” Yunho teased.

“ _I love you, our love is true…_ ”

“Now it’s really not the time, Jongho”

That was one of his peculiar traits. As much as Seonghwa loved him as a brother, his teasing always irritated him. Especially when he burst out one of the many love songs he had inspired.

“Yeah, relax… do you remember the last time you pissed him off?”

“Right, my dear Daphne… I still can’t believe you helped her turn into a tree!”

“ _You had been following her and singing her songs for weeks, I think she only thanked him_ ”

“Yeosang? How did you get here?”

Yeosang went straight to Seonghwa, a dark expression on his face.

“Aphrodite wants to see you” were his only words. Silence fell between the divine creatures. They were all looking at him, who checked his hand to make sure the scar had disappeared completely.

“Worry not, she doesn’t know anything. Now go”.


	5. ||CHAPTER 5||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, this is where shit starts to go down. Enjoy :)

Aphrodite had loved his dear Cupid since the day he came to life.

He had always been loyal to her, since the beginning of times when she gave birth to him.

Being the goddess of beauty was not enough to make sure humans lived in harmony between them: there were times when she frequently manifested herself on Earth, and she would see the pure disbelief of both men and women. She would witness their twinkling eyes, the way they fell to their knees with tears streaming down their faces, their mouths agape in both admiration and envy. They prayed her to grant their wishes with such ardor and faith it would put a priest of today and his whole church to shame.

But she could only do so much for them. Once she had given beauty to a man, she had to watch it fade over time. Once she had granted a girl’s wish to have the most breathtaking flowers in her garden, she had to watch them falter and die from their owner’s lack of consideration.

Something was missing.

_Love_ was missing.

So, once she gave birth to Seonghwa, she had given him a precise task to fulfill: to bring love to the world, so that beauty could shine forever as the planets would shine because of the sunlight. However, she had to make sure he never fell in love, never. It would’ve been the death of him: she knew it from the very moment he was born.

“How are things on Earth? Are you doing your job well?”

“Yes, Mother”

Aphrodite watched her son drink his cup of ambrosia, while the servants in the room kept on bringing exquisite food of every kind.

“Perfect. I know you’re doing so well right now, but I need you to… _intensify_ your activities. So many humans seem to have lost the concept of love, and only follow and adore me. As much as I am flattered, I know that it’s not healthy for a human to yearn for something they can’t achieve because of their own nature. That’s why I thought it would be better if you stayed on Earth permanently until the situation is more balanced”

Aphrodite didn’t miss his son’s eyes twinkling in joy: his son was quite keen on humans.

She perfectly knew that.

“If that’s what you desire, Mother, I’m at your service”

Aphrodite observed the necklace she had gifted him at birth. It was made of the purest gold, with a pendant that had a rose carved in it. “ _So you know that I’m always watching over you and protecting you_ ” she had said to him.

“You will start tomorrow. Your belongings have already been moved to your island, so do not worry about that. I also asked Poseidon to keep it guarded by his creatures so that no human will ever pass those waters”

“Thank you, Mother. You always do so much for me…”

“I have to, my precious Cupid. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for my evening bath”

She got up, her flowing attire moving graciously with every step she took towards the marble carved bathroom.

Once she was sure his son had gone away, she stepped into the warm water. The rich smell of roses filled the air, as invisible servants made of air whispered unknown sweet melodies. She spent some time like that, relishing in the warmth of the water and the beautiful voices resonating in the room.

“You wished to see me?”

A deep female voice interrupted the celestial atmosphere. A smirk spread on the goddess's face, as she slowly opened her eyes.

Her dress clashed with the purity of her surroundings: the long kaftan was ripped at the edges and it was almost as dark as her orbs. Long black hair flowed on her back and her pale face, deformed by a vicious smile.

“Oh, dear… you look awful” she snickered, amused at Aphrodite’s change of expression.

“Do not tease me, _dear_. I need you to do something for me”

Aphrodite played with a rose petal flowing in front of her, inviting the woman in the pool with her.

Soon the woman’s dark kaftan was discarded, revealing her pale, gaunt body.

“What do you want me to do?” the woman asked, letting the water caress her ankles, then her whole body.

“My son is in danger, Eris… I need you to keep an eye on him, and that _human_ he has fallen in love with”

There was a moment of silence. Then the pale woman spoke up.

“How do you know all of this?”

Aphrodite urged one of the servants to bring her a silver, inlaid mirror. Then she hummed a simple tune, watching the mirror lit up and show her son that was now on the invisible island sorting his work out.

“I’ve kept an eye on him like this since he was born… since _that_ prophecy. And now that I see it is becoming true, and he’s totally oblivious about it… I need to protect him, Eris, but I can’t do this alone. I would’ve asked your brothers about this, but one’s loyal to Hades and the other…well, he has chosen the _wrong_ side in this battle”

Eris looked at how the rose petals danced around her, as more were falling over her head, then she spoke, her voice even deeper than before.

“Tell me what I have to do, and I will do it.”

Aphrodite’s features hardened, letting a sadistic smile creep on her face.

“That human, _Carys_ …get rid of her. Use whichever means you and your sister deem appropriate, but don’t lay a single hand on my son. Also, be secretive: he needs to learn the hard way that he _cannot_ love, or he will die.”

Eris reciprocated the smile, thinking about how her sister would be thrilled to get right into the action.

She suddenly thought about Hongjoong.

Her brother was all caught up in Seonghwa’s dream, not realizing it was about to turn into a horrific nightmare. But he had to learn the hard way, as Aphrodite had said. Love is dangerous and complicated.

Discord, on the other side, is simple and makes people thrive off of it.

“It will be done, Aphrodite” she spitefully said “I can’t wait to get into action”

“Thank you, Eris. I know you will not disappoint me”

“If there’s one thing that I and my sister don’t do is disappoint: Cupid will have to surrender”.


	6. ||CHAPTER 6||

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: mentions of alcohol, drinking, and intoxication.

A month had passed since Seonghwa had first visited Carys in the library, and it was pretty much the only thing she could think of. The fact that he was awfully similar to the boy in her dreams made it even more difficult to forget. Was it just a coincidence?

And it did not end there. He had come to the library almost every day with the excuse of reading the books she recommended to him, but he would just really just keep her company when her father was not around and occasionally flirt a little bit. She liked the attention of course, but there was something unsettling about him and his connection to her dreams. She even came to think she had hallucinated the whole thing and should probably go and see a doctor.

All of these thoughts crowded her mind as she was driving to the city center to meet with her friend Yeri at a club. Friday nights were almost always like that: she would meet up with her friends, dance, maybe get a _little_ bit drunk, and then head home to deal with her hangover. However, that night was a little bit different: Yeri had just broken up with her girlfriend, and she happened to be a pretty heavy drinker.

“Tonight is babysitting night I guess,” she told herself, as she got into this new club that had opened a few weeks before. She found Yeri sitting at a table, with drinks already in hand.

“Carys! Come here, I ordered shots!” Yeri greeted her, handing her a shot of vodka. 

“So we’re starting with the light ones tonight, yeah?” she joked, sitting right next to her.

“Listen, I need this. My girlfriend broke up with me and if there’s one thing that can help me get over it is alcohol”

“And if we talked about this?” she tried to ask but was stopped by her friend’s finger on her mouth.

“Shhh, drink first, talk later”

Yeri gulped her shot of vodka in one go and Carys did the same, feeling the alcohol burn her throat.

As the night went on, she was the only one of the two that was sober enough to understand that maybe she shouldn’t drink anymore. However, Yeri seemed to have different views on that, as she gulped down another drink she actually didn’t recognize but knew it was strong.

And so, after dancing for a while, she decided to take Yeri outside the club, to let her sober up a bit and maybe get her to open up about her breakup: she was a pretty easy talker when she was drunk, and through hiccups and slurred words she began ranting about how she was dumped via text.

“Like, can you even imagine? She broke up with me because I also like guys and I wasn’t a _pure lesbian_ like her. What the fuck does that even mean? Do I need, like, a certified membership from the Official Lesbian Council or some shit? I get that men are trash most of the times, but come on, some of them are nice… remember Mark, my ex?” she stared into the void “He was pretty cool, it’s a shame he had to move to…to…” she paused “… wait, where do they make maple syrup again?”

"You...you mean, Canada?”

“Yes! Canada!” she smiled, then started hiccuping again. Then, all of a sudden, she started crying.

“I miss her soooo much! _It hurts…_ ”

 _“Alcohol really got her bad this time”_ , she thought, as she searched her purse for some tissues.

Then she heard a familiar voice calling her.

“Carys?”

Carys turned around only to find Seonghwa standing in front of her. She tried to shake the thought of their first meeting off of her as he approached, his eyes immediately shifting towards Yeri, who was now sniffling hard into her tissue.

“Hi Seonghwa!” she greeted him, as Yeri started sobbing into her shoulder.

“Is everything ok?”

“DOES IT LOOK LIKE IT?” Yeri shouted, only to bury her face into her tissue again. Carys awkwardly stood up, trying to ignore the fact that her friend had just yelled at her crush.

“I’m so sorry…guess I’ll have to take her home now…”

“Can I come with you? It looks like you’ll need some help” he said, pointing at how her friend was unsuccessfully trying to stand up again. Carys nodded, heading with Seonghwa to the car.

“Maybe is better if I drive, you don’t look that sober either”

“Seems fair. Let’s go, she doesn’t live that far away”

She told him the address, then sat in the car. As they drove off, the sound of the loud music coming out of the club began fading, being replaced with the quiet sound of the crickets hiding in the trees (and Yeri’s snoring in the background)

“It’s been a while since we’ve met… how are you?” she asked, breaking up the silence.

“I’ve been busy with work and…uhm, redecorating my apartment” he blurted out.

“I see…”

And then again, silence, interrupted only by Yeri’s light snoring.

Seonghwa’s eyes were fixated on the road ahead of him, occasionally glancing at Carys: her hair was messy from dancing almost all night, her makeup looked a bit worn-out and her usual perfume was accompanied to a faint smell of alcohol.

 _“She looks so pretty like this,”_ he thought.

“Now you need to turn right and I'll wake Yeri up.”

She shook her friend’s shoulder, who woke up with an annoyed groan.

“Hello, sis. Who’s _this_ guy over here? He’s kinda hot”

“I’m flattered, m’lady” Seonghwa joked, stopping the car in front of Yeri’s house.

“Yeri, you’re drunk. Come on, let’s get you to bed”

“I don’t want to! I want to stay with you and the hot dude over here!” she slurred as Carys basically dragged her over to her house, then her bedroom. Seonghwa waited outside while she helped Yeri to get into bed safe and sound. A difficult and perilous task, judging by the fact that her friend had fallen a couple of times on the stairs. And on her way to the bedroom’s door. And over the carpet, in front of her bed.

“It took you quite a while”

“The mission was actually a success, considering she didn’t throw up in the kitchen like I thought she would have”

“A success indeed… so, do you want to go back to the club?”

Carys looked at him for a couple of seconds, then hinted at a smile and nodded in approval.

“Good. A couple of my friends are there too, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all” she responded.

When they got back to the club she noticed that there were fewer people waiting to enter outside. The place must’ve been packed.

“Don’t worry, we have a private table in the VIP section” he said nonchalantly, parking the car.

“Woah, how are you on the VIP list already? This place has opened just a few weeks ago” she managed to say. Was he not only handsome as hell but also loaded?

“The owner is my friend, we’ve known each other for a long time”

He took her hand and guided her through the crowded space until they reached the area of the club surrounded by velvet ropes. There were just a few tables, one of them occupied by three men who stood up as soon as they saw them.

“You’re back, finally! Where have you been?” one of them asked. Carys took her time to study the people in front of her: the one with the blue hair immediately caught her eye, although they were all incredibly handsome, just like the man right next to her.

“Guys, this is Carys, the one I told you about”

_“Oh, he told them about me”_

The one with the blue hair stood up, offering his hand to shake as they reached the table.

“I’m Yunho, nice to finally meet you”

“Nice to meet you too” she answered, now turning towards the one wearing a suit with apparently no shirt underneath. He exuded a kind of aura she could not fully describe: he looked like he owned the place.

“Hi, I’m Mingi. Yunho’s right, he literally would not stop talking about you”

Carys felt herself blush at the male’s comment, and was surprised to find out that Seonghwa was equally as flustered. That’s when she noticed, they were still holding hands.

“Stop it, you two! Hi, I’m Hongjoong, and please pay them no mind, they just love to tease people” he said, inviting her to sit next to them. The music was quite toned down from there, so it was actually really easy to have a conversation, although she could not follow most of it because well, she was pretty drunk but tried not to show it. Seonghwa wouldn’t leave her side, playing with her fingers from time to time: she thought it was cute, forgetting for a second about the dream and the mysterious aura around him. Now, he just looked like a really handsome man who may have been flirting with her for the entire time since they met, and it made her more comfortable around him. Or maybe it was just the alcohol.

“So, Carys, do you like this place?” Mingi asked, pouring himself a glass of wine.

“I do, I was actually very curious to come here since the opening.”

“That’s good to know” he laughed, taking a sip from his glass.

Seonghwa turned to Carys, whispering something into her ear.

“He’s the friend I told you about… the owner of the club”

Carys looked at Mingi, who had already finished his wine and was about to open another bottle. He gave off a sort of intimidating yet welcoming aura, she could’t fully wrap her head around it. On the other hand, she could just tell he was a mischievous one. There was a twinkle in his eyes that reminded her of her little cousin, who was always up for causing troubles.

And then there was Hongjoong. He was definitely the odd one of the three: his presence was reassuring, almost calming. Even the way he talked with his hands made her feel comfortable, almost like the movement of his hands was hypnotizing her.

Carys didn’t realize she had been spacing off until she felt Seonghwa’s hand intertwine with hers once again, this time to guide her out of the club.

“You seem tired, darling, maybe it’s time to take you home,” he said, as he took her to her car.

“I feel better now, I think I can go on my own”

“Wait, Carys! Before you go…can I ask you something?”

Carys turned to look at him.

“I was wondering if you would like to…go to the beach with me?”

“Like, on a date?”

Seonghwa’s cheeks became beet red as he scratched the back of his head.

“Do you want it to be?”

“Absolut- I mean… do _you_ want it to be a date?” she answered, feeling like she was blushing like crazy too.

Seonghwa laughed a little, slowly walking closer to her who was leaning with her back on the side of the car.

“To be completely honest yes, I kinda hoped it would’ve been a date”

“Then a date it is, Seonghwa”

He inched even closer to her. Carys’ heart was about to burst out of her chest, and her legs felt like jelly. Some strands of his black hair tickled her face, as he softly pressed his lips to her right cheek.

“I’ll come to pick you up by seven. See you tomorrow, Carys”

“Y-Yeah, see you…”

He walked away. Carys sprinted into her car and made sure she was alone in the parking lot, before erupting into a small celebratory dance. Seonghwa had asked her out on a date! She was feeling as she was drunk again, but this time her head felt much more lighter, and if she felt like sleeping before, she was totally awake now.

And all he had done was kiss her on the cheek. She ghosted her hand over the area: the warmness of his lips was still lingering there, sending tingles down her body.

“I hope I dream of him again,” she thought as she started the engine and finally headed home.


	7. ||CHAPTER 7||

Dates were definitely something that Seonghwa was used to. He had followed countless couples on their first date -even when “dates” as we know them weren’t an actual thing-just waiting for the right moment to strike his arrows. Sometimes it happened as soon as two people saw each other, sometimes it happened after a few dates, and most of the times it never happened.

“It’s not meant to be,” he told himself, as he moved on to his next task.

However, this time was different. He had to go on an actual date. With a girl that he was already so in love with, even if it had only been a month since he came to stay on Earth.

He was pacing back and forth, thinking about last night’s events, all while he held the arrow in his hand.

“I think I’m going crazy”

“I mean, you definitely are” Yunho answered, as he was placidly laying on the bed with one hand swinging out of it.

“I’m dead serious Yunho. Ever since the world was created I was told that falling in love was too dangerous for me, and now here I am, losing my shit over a date with a mortal!”

“And not just any mortal… I told you once and I’m going to tell you again, she’s really pretty”

It took all of Seonghwa’s will to not punch Yunho in the face.

“She’s not just pretty, Yunho! She’s also smart, and kind and…”

“Yes, I know, you literally haven’t stopped talking about her since last night!”

Seonghwa checked his outfit for the umpteenth time: a tucked-in white shirt and black jeans.

“You’re fine, Seonghwa. And just remember, if you need me, I’ll be right there. Literally, I mean you guys are literally going on a date in my territory” Yunho snickered, earning a pillow in the face from Seonghwa

“And I already regret it! Mind your own business, at least for tonight!”

He prepared to teleport himself on dry land, as he reassured himself everything would’ve been perfect that night.

_“It has to be”_

_***********************_

Saying that Carys was nervous was an understatement.

_“It’s just a date… with one of the most gorgeous men out there, who’ll be here in less than five minutes”_

Her thoughts were rushing in her head, making it difficult to concentrate as she was trying to style her hair. In the end, she decided to just let them be and headed downstairs to pick up her house keys and her phone. She had told Yeri about the date that morning, earning a more than simply enthusiastic response from her judging by her last message.

_Go get him, tiger!_ 😜

She was checking herself up in the mirror when she saw a car stop right in front of her house.

Seonghwa waved at her from the driver seat, rolling the window down.

“Hi! Are you ready to go?”

“Yes!” she replied cheerfully, getting in the car.

They quickly arrived at the beach. Seonghwa pulled out a picnic basket from the car’s trunk, following her to a quiet spot next to the rocks. Seonghwa displayed the beach towel neatly on the sand, motioning for her to sit on it.

“Look at the sky! It’s so pretty!”

She kept her eyes up, observing the orange and violet-tinted sky shift in color, as the sun seemed to be drowning into the sea.

“It is pretty indeed…” Seonghwa agreed, as he also sat on the towel next to her.

Carys glanced at the picnic basket.

“What’s in the basket?”, she asked.

“Well, it was meant to be for later, but if you’re so curious about that…”

Seonghwa reached for it, taking out some fresh grapes and a bottle of prosecco. Carys’ eyes widened, and the boy let out a little laugh at her shocked expression.

“Classy right?” he joked, as he arranged the grapes on a plate between both of them.

“Wow, you sure know how to impress someone…”

Carys observed as Seonghwa took a grape and brought it to her mouth.

“Open up” 

She stared at him for a couple of seconds, before slowly opening up her mouth. It was the first time anyone was feeding her like this, and she had to admit… she kind of liked it.

“You’re blushing, again,” Seonghwa noticed, caressing her cheek with his knuckles.

“Oh god, why am I like this!”

She giggled nervously, trying to regulate her breathing. His hand felt cool in contact with her hot face: this caused her to have goosebumps all over her skin.

“You don’t have to worry about that…I already told you, I find it adorable”

“T-thank you…”

He abruptly parted from her, then leaned on his elbow and closed his eyes.

“What? It’s your turn now! I’ll be waiting…”

Carys hesitantly took a grape from the plate and brought it up to Seonghwa’s plump lips. Her fingertips lingered there for a fraction of a second after Seonghwa had eaten the grape, and she wholeheartedly hoped he had not noticed. Meanwhile, the sun was already midway into the sea, the waves gently crashing against the rocks.

“I love coming here at this hour, you know?” she confessed, taking another couple of grapes “the view is just so pretty… it almost has a calming effect, doesn’t it?”

She then turned towards him: the soft breeze was ruffling his black hair, and he looked so beautiful she actually ended up staring at him and losing her train of thought.

“It is pretty indeed… however” he turned to her “it’s nothing compared to what I’m looking at right now.”

Carys hid her face in her hand, wanting nothing but to be able to bury herself into the sand. That boy was really messing with her head, considering she would never fall for this kind of lame pick-up line. However, there was something about the way those words had left his mouth, or maybe the way he was looking at her, that made her feel… loved?

“Ok, that was definitely the lamest pick-up line ever” the boy stated, laughing.

“It kinda was, yeah…but I liked it”

“Really?”

“Really” she reassured him, before pouring herself a glass of prosecco.

The next hour passed like that, with both of them talking while the sky turned dark, and the stars started to twinkle in the sky. The moonlight was shining on both of them, who were now laying on the towel admiring the night sky. The distance between them diminished minute by minute until Seonghwa was basically cuddled up on her side, propped on his elbow to see her face better. His free hand was playing with hers, basically, thumb fighting.

“You’re cheating!” she exclaimed in disbelief, as Seonghwa had won for the fourth time in a row. 

“I’m not, I swear! Ok, let’s make a bet. If you win, I’ll throw myself in the water with my clothes still on”

“And what if you win?”

Seonghwa seemed to take a moment to think, before speaking up again with a lower voice tone.

“If I win, I get to kiss you, but I’ll leave it up to you where to”

“Challenge accepted, Seonghwa”

And so, a new match of thumb fighting began. Carys tried to win with all of her might, but there was still a part of her that kind of wanted to lose.

And so, her frail thumb was crushed under Seonghwa’s.

He had won. Again.

She started getting goosebumps. Again.

“So…where?”

Carys stared at his lips. She wanted to kiss him so bad, but she wanted to wipe that smug smile off his face more. And so, she offered her hand to him, watching his eyes grow in disbelief.

“No one has ever kissed my hand before,” she said, a wave of confidence and energy suddenly hitting her.

Seonghwa took her hand in his and brought it close to his mouth, leaving a chaste kiss on top of it.

However, she didn’t want to retract her hand just yet. She traced the outline of his lips with her thumb, as he looked at her with a different gleam in his eyes. There was no trace of the playfulness of before: at that moment it felt like he wanted to stay like that forever, completely hypnotized by her touch.

Carys knew she couldn’t resist the urge of kissing him any longer. And so, she gathered all of her courage and brushed her lips on his.

She didn’t have any time to register Seonghwa’s lips crashing on hers like he had been waiting for that kiss for all his life. His hand found the back of her head, pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss.

Saying that her head was spinning was an utter understatement: she felt her skin burning wherever Seonghwa had caressed it, from her neck to her waist and down her arm. When they parted, she was left panting and staring at him. His lips were swollen and his eyes were shiny, looking at her in adoration. They stayed like that for a while, both of them not saying a word, just cuddling each other until they fell asleep, lulled by the sounds of the sea and the moonlight that was shining over them.


End file.
